Residents from Pelinia are setting up a handicraft center and local brand with the involvement of natives who migrated worldwide

April 13, 2018

A center for handicraft and traditional costumes making will be established in the village of Pelinia, Drochia district, so that the 40 craftsmen in the locality could practice craftsmanship specific to the area.

All this is possible thanks to an economic project implemented in the locality by the town hall and the Association “Natives from Pelinia", with the support of the Government of Switzerland, which offered a grant in the amount of 25 thousand USD. The grant was offered in the framework of the “Migration and Local Development” project, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Moldova (UNDP). At the same time, the town hall will contribute with 3 thousand USD, and the natives are encouraged to collect 2,5 thousand USD on the fund-raising platform Guvern24.

“This is a perfect model for solving a wide range of challenges at local level by valuing the assets of the locality: preserving traditions, creating a local brand that will promote the image of Pelinia village, as well as creating a community business that will bring income to the population and will respectively reduce the migration rates, especially amongst women,” says Olesea Cazacu, manager of the “Migration and Local Development” project.

The center will cover an area of about 200 square meters in the House of Culture and should be arranged by September 2018.

“Here a workshop for manufacturing traditional costumes will be set up. The center will also host meetings of craftsmen and courses for the new generations in order to pass on the art of creating traditional costume and craftsmanship that, removed from anonymity, will become a business card for the locality, as well as a source of income for the local population”, said Titus Sarateanu, the mayor of Pelinia village.

To bring together the natives and inform them about the new project, the residents of the village organized a meeting during which the craftsmen demonstrated to young people and all others their mastery to weave carpets, towels, to embroider, to crochet, as well as other crafts.

The 13 artistic groups from the village organized a Flash Mob as well, “Together for the traditional blouse from PelinIA” thus encouraging natives from around the world to donate for the establishment of the center.

”Dears, those far away, don’t forget about your homeland, about traditions and the traditional clothing. I know that together we can contribute to creating beautiful things at home. We are looking forward to having you here in August to see the results and witness the birth of our local brand”, said Valentina Chilaru, the leader of the artistic groups in Pelinia.

The House of Culture from Pelinia will be provided with heating, water and sewerage, as result of the project.

“The first community project implemented was arrangement of a local park. We are glad that this new project will help our peers. We are committed to support such projects and we will come with new initiatives, because we care about people living in the village, children who are growing up here and, last but not least, about this place”, says Viorel Bors, the Chairperson of the Natives Association from Pelinia.

Pelinia is one of the 15 localities benefiting from grants offered by the Government of Switzerland for local economic development. The “Migration and Local Development” project supports 38 localities in the country, selected based on a contest, to turn migration from a problem into an opportunity.

Residents from Pelinia are setting up a handicraft center and local brand with the involvement of natives who migrated worldwide